EMB120 flight crew has a problem with the left gear not retracting, having a gear door open indicati...

Attributes
ACN	384331
Time
Date	199710
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : atl
State Reference	GA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 400 agl bound upper : 1500
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : atl
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Xingu EMB-121 All Series
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 135
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	climbout : initial climbout : takeoff other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 225 flight time total : 5800 flight time type : 4100
ASRS Report	384331
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Crew departed atl with first officer as PF. 1ST leg of scheduled 2- leg continuous duty overnight. For captain, it was 4TH consecutive work day, 2ND continuous duty trip. Left main gear did not indicate complete retraction after takeoff. Red disagreement lights remained illuminated. Slipstream noise indicated some gear or door remained down. Control feedback was noticeable but minimum. Leveled aircraft and notified ATC. Requested headings/time to diagnose irregularity and run checklist. Called flight attendant to visually inspect left main from cabin area. She advised gear was not down or in sight. In accordance with checklist, cycled gear down and immediately showed 3 green indication. After aircraft control was verified, checklist complete and ATC notified of our intention to return, captain entered cabin to inspect/visually verify presence of both main gear. Nosewheel taxi light presence verified nose was down-locked. Vectors to runway 27L in atl, captain landed aircraft without further incident. Passenger deplaned and changed aircraft. Departed again within 1 hour of initial return. Extreme fatigue slowed down/impaired locating correct checklist and caused crew to assume something missed during preflight. Condition (mechanical) was actually diagnosed by maintenance as electrical malfunction in gear doors. Captain's schedule previous days had included over 17 flight hours, a trip extension from 2 to 3 days due to another mechanical problem, a ferry flight, a previous night's scheduled hotel stop of 5 1/4 hours reduced to 2 1/2 hours for operational delays. Circadian sleep totally gone. Sleep pattern disruption and erratic scheduling/heavy flight load resulted in acute fatigue. Trying to manage second malfunction in 2 calendar days. Vision so blurry and concentration so difficult that even locating/reading proper procedure was difficult. However, all legal under current far 'crew rest' limits.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMB120 FLC HAS A PROB WITH THE L GEAR NOT RETRACTING, HAVING A GEAR DOOR OPEN INDICATION. CHKLISTS WERE RUN AND ACFT RETURNED TO ATL FOR INSPECTION. CAPT CITES CREW FATIGUE AS BEING A FACTOR IN SLOW ASSESSMENT OF THE PROB IN READING OF THE CHKLISTS.

Narrative: CREW DEPARTED ATL WITH FO AS PF. 1ST LEG OF SCHEDULED 2- LEG CONTINUOUS DUTY OVERNIGHT. FOR CAPT, IT WAS 4TH CONSECUTIVE WORK DAY, 2ND CONTINUOUS DUTY TRIP. L MAIN GEAR DID NOT INDICATE COMPLETE RETRACTION AFTER TKOF. RED DISAGREEMENT LIGHTS REMAINED ILLUMINATED. SLIPSTREAM NOISE INDICATED SOME GEAR OR DOOR REMAINED DOWN. CTL FEEDBACK WAS NOTICEABLE BUT MINIMUM. LEVELED ACFT AND NOTIFIED ATC. REQUESTED HEADINGS/TIME TO DIAGNOSE IRREGULARITY AND RUN CHKLIST. CALLED FLT ATTENDANT TO VISUALLY INSPECT L MAIN FROM CABIN AREA. SHE ADVISED GEAR WAS NOT DOWN OR IN SIGHT. IN ACCORDANCE WITH CHKLIST, CYCLED GEAR DOWN AND IMMEDIATELY SHOWED 3 GREEN INDICATION. AFTER ACFT CTL WAS VERIFIED, CHKLIST COMPLETE AND ATC NOTIFIED OF OUR INTENTION TO RETURN, CAPT ENTERED CABIN TO INSPECT/VISUALLY VERIFY PRESENCE OF BOTH MAIN GEAR. NOSEWHEEL TAXI LIGHT PRESENCE VERIFIED NOSE WAS DOWN-LOCKED. VECTORS TO RWY 27L IN ATL, CAPT LANDED ACFT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. PAX DEPLANED AND CHANGED ACFT. DEPARTED AGAIN WITHIN 1 HR OF INITIAL RETURN. EXTREME FATIGUE SLOWED DOWN/IMPAIRED LOCATING CORRECT CHKLIST AND CAUSED CREW TO ASSUME SOMETHING MISSED DURING PREFLT. CONDITION (MECHANICAL) WAS ACTUALLY DIAGNOSED BY MAINT AS ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION IN GEAR DOORS. CAPT'S SCHEDULE PREVIOUS DAYS HAD INCLUDED OVER 17 FLT HRS, A TRIP EXTENSION FROM 2 TO 3 DAYS DUE TO ANOTHER MECHANICAL PROB, A FERRY FLT, A PREVIOUS NIGHT'S SCHEDULED HOTEL STOP OF 5 1/4 HRS REDUCED TO 2 1/2 HRS FOR OPERATIONAL DELAYS. CIRCADIAN SLEEP TOTALLY GONE. SLEEP PATTERN DISRUPTION AND ERRATIC SCHEDULING/HVY FLT LOAD RESULTED IN ACUTE FATIGUE. TRYING TO MANAGE SECOND MALFUNCTION IN 2 CALENDAR DAYS. VISION SO BLURRY AND CONCENTRATION SO DIFFICULT THAT EVEN LOCATING/READING PROPER PROC WAS DIFFICULT. HOWEVER, ALL LEGAL UNDER CURRENT FAR 'CREW REST' LIMITS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

EMB120 flight crew has a problem with the left gear not retracting, having a gear door open indication. Checklists were run and aircraft returned to atl for inspection. Captain cites crew fatigue as being a factor in slow assessment of the problem in reading of the checklists.